Our Story

We Love it Naked!

We’re aware that most people know us as “that smelly soap shop”. But did you know why our shops smell so strongly? It’s because approximately 70% of our products are packaging-free.

There’s no packaging between your nose and the essential oil blends in our naked products. We’ve invented ways to make them solid and sell them naked instead so that we don’t have to use packaging.

Taking away the packaging allows us to focus all our money on using beautiful ingredients in our products, because we don’t have to pay for any wrap. It also allows us to go without preservatives, which are most often needed in liquid products. And then there’s the obvious reason, that packaging is wasteful and environmentally un-friendly. Our soap, Bath Bombs, Bubble Bar Slices, shampoo bars, massage bars, body butters, solid body tints and facial cleansers are solid alternatives and just as effective (if not more) than their liquid counterparts.

That being said, there are lovely liquid ingredients that are so wonderful for your skin and hair that we do use them in the other 30% of our products. In those cases, we use 100% post-consumer recycled plastic pots and bottles, and to encourage closed-loop recycling, we offer a free Fresh Face Mask with every 5 empty, clean black pots you bring back to a LUSH shop.

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We know how hard it is to find time for a luxurious LUSH fix some days; it’s even harder with little ones to care for too. We’re lucky to have so many hardworking mums as part of the LUSH team who somehow manage to carve out time for themselves, in some very inventive ways.

Shower Jellies were released in 2005 to celebrate LUSH’s 10th birthday, because it’s tradition in England to have ice cream and jelly at birthday parties. Not that we needed an excuse to add some fun in the shower!

Do shampoos and conditioners typically contain animal products? Yes, they do. For people leading a vegan lifestyle, their choices may surpass what they eat to the products they use in their daily life.

Do shampoos and conditioners typically contain animal products? Yes, they do. For people leading a vegan lifestyle, their choices may surpass what they eat to the products they use in their daily life.

We’ve all been there; that awkward moment when the massage oil slips out of your hands, spilling all over the bed sheets. Messes don’t help with relaxation! Forget the bottle and grab one of our Therapy massage bars.

We’ve all been there; that awkward moment when the massage oil slips out of your hands, spilling all over the bed sheets. Messes don’t help with relaxation! Forget the bottle and grab one of our Therapy massage bars.

Mark and Simon talk about The Smell of Weather Turning perfume:
Mark: "The story of how this fragrance was born is quite convoluted. Initially, the smell of weather turning was a concept that was described to us by a girl who works for us, who is also a witch..."

Did you know that we invented solid Bubble Bar Slices, and even have a patent on them? One night LUSH co-founder and product inventor Helen Ambrosen left a sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar mixture out and it accidentally got wet

Did you know that we invented solid Bubble Bar Slices, and even have a patent on them? One night LUSH co-founder and product inventor Helen Ambrosen left a sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar mixture out and it accidentally got wet

Simon Constantine:
“A short but powerful man beckons us. His name is the Venerable Ngawang Woebar and he’s a Tibetan monk. He welcomes us into the small room of his office and asks what it is we want..."

Simon Constantine:
“A short but powerful man beckons us. His name is the Venerable Ngawang Woebar and he’s a Tibetan monk. He welcomes us into the small room of his office and asks what it is we want..."

"I always find Mo, my wife, difficult to understand, but that can then be expressed through music. I don't really get her - she always leaves a little bit to be revealed..."
-Mark Constantine, LUSH founder and product inventor

When the first LUSH opened its doors on 29 High Street in Poole England, the inventors were upstairs making fresh skin and haircare, while the products were sold downstairs. Our store displays were inspired by fresh fruit in markets, big rounds of cheeses, delis and sweet shops. At our heart, LUSH is a cosmetic deli.

The knowledge, passion, and expertise that our founders and product inventors bring to our creative development drives LUSH to create such innovative products. However, we owe a great deal of gratitude to the experts and consultants who helped us grow to where we are today. Stanislaw Kryztal is one of those people.

When both of these fragrances were finished, I realized that the first was heavily masculine, woody and resinous; the other took crisp cucumber notes mixed with neroli and bergamot and was altogether more feminine.

2,540 kg/5,600 lbs of fresh lemons get zested, juiced and squeezed into our cosmetics each year. We love using lemons in our cosmetics because they’re cleansing, antibacterial, full of vitamin C, vitamins B1 and B2, and are a powerful antioxidant.

After working for years to revolutionize the beauty industry, they've been given this incredible honor that recognizes their pioneering work as cosmetic scientists, philanthropists and business leaders.

Our Buffy Body Butter was inspired by LUSH co-founder and inventor Rowena’s trip to Brazil. She already loved all things scrubby, and then she heard about the women in Brazil who rub a mixture of sand and sunscreen into their backsides.

Our Buffy Body Butter was inspired by LUSH co-founder and inventor Rowena’s trip to Brazil. She already loved all things scrubby, and then she heard about the women in Brazil who rub a mixture of sand and sunscreen into their backsides.